Affordable Care Act rollout inspires Volusia, Flagler rallies

Wednesday

Oct 2, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 2, 2013 at 6:08 AM

The differing views of locals echoed the sentiments of congressional leaders in Washington.

By Chris Grahamchris.graham@news-jrnl.com

As hundreds of thousands of uninsured Americans fought long waits and computer glitches to apply for insurance on the rollout day for President Barack Obama’s health care law, local Republicans and Democrats used the occasion as a rallying cry in a lingering political battle.Democrats like Ralph Lightfoot say the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, should be given a chance to work, but Republicans like Tony Ledbetter, the party’s Volusia County executive committee chairman, say the law as it’s written will be a “total disaster.”The differing views of locals echoed the sentiments of congressional leaders in Washington who were locked in a stalemate Tuesday over a spending bill that led to a partial government shutdown.Lightfoot, a Palm Coast resident, was joined by a handful of others Tuesday in showing their support for the health care legislation in front of the Flagler County Health Department, which along with the health departments across the state have been banned from hosting “navigators” who have been trained to help people sign up for health insurance. Lightfoot said he believes the ban ordered by Gov. Rick Scott demonstrates how Republicans are fearful people will like aspects of Obamacare.“They’re afraid that with some tweaks this will become a very good program,” said Lightfoot, 69, who held a sign that read “We Support Obamacare.”Celia Puglise, a Republican, said lawmakers need to work together to “move the country forward.”“We should be able to give people a chance to have affordable insurance,” she said.But Ledbetter and other Republicans aren’t ready to give up the fight against the law. Late Tuesday afternoon they rallied against Obamacare, waving American flags and signs in downtown DeLand.“This is the worst piece of legislation that I’ve seen come out of Congress since I’ve been alive,” said Ledbetter, adding it will hurt businesses that may be forced to cut employees or reduce their hours.Victor Baker of New Smyrna Beach is another Obamacare opponent who said he feels the government is trying to “shove it down our throats.”“Once we abandon the free market, there’s no turning back,” he said. As the political Ping-Pong match played out Tuesday, millions got their first look at online marketplaces — glitches and all.A combination of high demand and technical difficulties seemed to overwhelm the online system early in the day. In Florida, the marketplace had crashed by mid-morning while others were forced to wait for a long time until they could log on to the website.Pres. Obama, in a White House speech, said more than 1 million people had visted the federal website HealthCare.gov by 7 a.m. Tuesday.The nationwide rollout comes after months of buildup in which the marketplaces have been both praised and vilified.The government shutdown will have no immediate effect on the insurance marketplaces that are the backbone of Obamacare because they operate with money that isn’t subject to the annual budget wrangling in Washington.Merrill Shapiro, president of the Flagler County Democratic Club, conceded the law may take some getting used to but believes Obamacare will come out on the right side of history.“We know it’s new and it’s hard to accept. In the end, we know it will be much better for our country,” he said. “We’re sure 50 years from now people will look back and say, ‘Wow, what a good idea that was. I’m glad somebody took a leap. It wasn’t popular, but it was right.’”— The Associated Press contributed to this report.